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POCKET 




NIAGARA FALLS. 



40 ILLUSTRATIONS. 



THE 



COMPLETE 



LLUSTRATED GUIDE 



NIAGARA FALLS 



AND 



VICINITY. 



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H?Tr^ 



NIAGARA 



DESCRIPTIVE. 

For the reason that the task of describing any scene in nature 
is difficult in proportion to its rarity, and that we derive our con- 
ception of the same from the comparison it will bear with other 
works of nature, and for the farther reason that Niagara Falls is 
unique and totally unlike any other scene on the face of the earth, 
it is a most onerous task to produce such a pen-picture of the Falls 
as can convey to the minds of readers who have never seen them 
an accurate idea of their grandeur. Many minds have essayed to 
reproduce Niagara literally, many pens have recorded the impres- 
sion of visitors respecting it, without even faintly describing it ; 
for there is no known rhythm whose cadence will attune itself to 
the tremendous hymn of this " sound as of many waters," neither 
will blank verse serve to rehearse its attributes in song. The best 
specimen of the latter was written by a gifted poet who visited 
this locality especially to set forth its beauties in verse, but who 
recorded only the following words : 

" I came to see ! 
I thought to write! 
I am but dumb ! " 
There is but one way to record poetically the fascinations o 
Niagara ; that is, to tell its glories in that plain language which is 
the Creator's greatest gift to man, and to describe it as a part of 
that stupendous and eternal poem whose strophes and lines are 
the rivers, mountains, glens, caves and rainbows of the universe ; 
for of nature in its grandest and most varied forms Niagara is a 
condensation and an exemplification. 

Above the Falls, Niagara has, in her rapids, examples of many 
of " e most remarkable combinations of Nature's work ; and those 
jji—j visit here can experience all the pleasure of the mariner in 
Standing on the Goat Island Bridge, knowing that an almost irre- 
,.? e billowy force is fighting against that structure, situated at 
ne very edge of the gulf into which the river pours, and that they 
still as safe as they could be on terra firma. It is a feeling that 
^ould not be reproduced in any other situation. One seems, when 
\ 3 



stationed at this point and looking beneath him, to be on the verge 
of eternity ; should the bridge give away, he would, in a few mo- 
ments, be carried over the cliff, and lost ! Yet the stability of the 
bridge removes all sense of danger, and compels confidence even 
in the presence of the dread power of the current. 

If it is possible to imagine that the entire country of England 
and Scotland could be turned into one grand receptacle for five 
Inland Seas, such as the lakes which here unite in giving their 
waters to form the Niagara above the Falls ; and if, further, it can 
be conceived that the peaks of the Alps and the Appenines were 
located at the Hebrides, so as to contribute their melting snows to 
this conflux of waters , and if it be assumed that the Dover Straits 
could be made such a river, to traverse the extreme heights above 
the Downs, and to pour its waters in two grand cascades over the 
cliffs of Beachy Head, an idea of the Falls proper would be 
presented to European readers. 

Iceland has splendid geysers, sending up heavy clouds of vapors 
from its boiling springs surrounded by ice. The Matterhorn has 
its magnificent " Arc-en-ciel" which vies with the finest rainbows 
in splendor ; and, from the summits of the Alps, one can look down 
upon the tops of trees which, from below, are of dizzy altitude. 
Here all these and other yet more remarkable effects are brought 
together at one point. England on the South coast and France on 
her North coast are both proud of their splendid beetling cliffs, 
between which rolls the majestic current of the English channel. 

On the Niagara, similar but more imposing cliffs are brought to- 
gether in near proximity and form the boundaries of a river which, 
receiving its' waters from the Cataract, concentrate their mighty 
force into a turbulent flood, upon which one cannot look without 
allowing the mind to compare it with the Styx of the Ancients. 
And yet this avalanche of power meets with an effectual stop in its 
career at the "whirlpool," where its course is violently turned 
aside at an angle of ninety degrees, thus forming a veritable 
Maelstrom, cuch as cannot be found in any other portion of the 
globe for strength of current and obstinacy of opposing forces. 
Thus it would appear that nature had exhausted her resources in 
placing at this point, between two countries, a dividing line which 
deserved to be regarded as impassable. Further, that she reversed 
the usual order of her works to command the reverence and awe di 
humanity. Taking her fair coronet of rainbows from the skies, 
she set it in the midst of a river-fall ; planting her high trees at the 
base of the cliffs, she caused their summits to be viewed from above ; 

4 



providing an almost inconceivable avalanche of waters, she allows 
them to be observed from below, as if pouring from the clouds ; 
and in the coldest seasons, without the aid of heat, a mighty cloud 
of vapor rises, and, condensing in the form of ice on all the sur- 
rounding scenery, forms a fairyland of scenic effect which is as 
weird and strange in its conception as the works of enchantment. 
Yet the mind of man has refused to be subdued by the grandeur 
here displayed, and has calmly proceeded to utilize the very edges 
of the cliffs for the purpose of suspending bridges to act as con- 
necting links between the two countries which the river seems 
solely intended to separate; and across them the iron horse deliber- 
ately conveys the products of human industry to and from each 
land! 

There is no point on the earth's surface from which an entire idea 
of human existence can be more adequately conceived than from 
the center of the K. K. Suspension Bridge, which in the distance 
appears as a mere web between the two cliffs, although solid and 
substantial as man's ingenuity can make it. There, suspended in 
mid-air, between precipices enclosing a terrifying chasm, through 
which rushes the mighty flood, it is impossible to stand without 
experiencing that feeling of enthusiasm connected with the assump- 
tion that the creation contains no power too great for human con- 
trol. Yet, when the heavily-laden freight-trains cause the fabric 
to tremble, the possibility of the breaking of the Bridge seems so 
near and total destruction in that event so certain, then the feeling 
of exultation is necessarily allied with that of fear, recalling the 
idea of standing face to face with eternity. This, briefly and terse- 
ly, is the locale of Niagara which is at once a village and a city, %r 
the reason that it contains such grand and interesting scenery as 
well as splendid manufacturing establishments and triumphs of 
human skill, although it has not more than 4,000 inhabitants ! 

A proposition has sometimes been made to convert this place 
into a park to the exclusion of manufactories. It is probable, how- 
ever, that the various industries of the future will be able to. draw 
all the power required from the river above the Falls/ without in 
any way marring the scenery of the latter ; and that while in the 
years to come, this village may grow to be a city, teeming with 
ife and activity, its value as a health resort will be in no wise 
abated. 

THE NAME NIAGARA. 

The word Niagara is a household word all over the world. It- 
is applied only to the locality, and is to-day the synonym for the 



deal waterfall. It is of Indian origin, for the Indians once in- 
habited airthis country, and much of the nomenclature of Western 
New York is traceable directly to them. Niagara is supposed to 
be borrowed from the language of the Iroquois, and means " The 
Thunderer of the Waters." It was the name of a tribe, for it was an 
Indian custom to call their tribes from the most important 
natural feature of the country they inhabited or to give the tribal 
name to such feature. Thus the names of the Onondagas, Hurons> 
Cayugas, Senecas and Oneidas are each kept alive by the name of 
a river and a lake ; while the Mohawk River recalls to mind the 
greatest warrior tribe of all, and in Lake Erie the name of one of 
the weaker tribes is ever present. The River and the Falls were 
the chief features of the Niagaras country and their chief village 
bore the same name. 

The Hurons dwelt North of this section and the Iroquois South 
of it. So the Niagaras dwelling between the two, and at peace 
with each, came to be called the Neuter Nation, in whose wigwams 
the warriors of these two tribes met m peace. 

Niagara is said to be one of 40 known ways of spelling the name 
Ongniaarhra, Nicariagas, Ongiara, Onyakara, being the more com- 
mon forms met with in old traditions. 

The Neuter Nation were also called Attouanderonks by other 
tribes, that is, a people speaking a little different language ; for 
their dialect was different from that of any other tribe, though 
partially understood by all. Both these names, as well as Niagaras 
and Kah-Kwas, were used so as to distinguish their location. 

The Neuter Nation were destroyed or absorbed by the more 
powerful Iroquois about 1650, permanent neutrality being an 
untenable ground. The Senecas then occupied their lands. 

Almost 100 years after this, a small remenant gathered together 
and went back to the famous home of their fathers, but they 
lived there only a few years and dying off left no descendants to 
perpetuate their tribe. 

HISTORICAL. 

The historical associations that are connected with this section 
of the country and with this famous River, are numberless. From 
the earliest days of the red men's rule, through the long French 
and English wars, to the closing of our own war of 1812, its borders 
have been the scene of many bloody conflicts and of countless 
deeds of strategy and heroism. 

A line of forts, at first only palisades, but gradually strength- 
ened into permanent forts, extended all along the River. Forts 



Erie, Niagara and Mississaga on the Canadian, and Forts Porter, 
Dn Portage, Schlosser, Little Niagara, Grey and Niagara on the 
American side, are but links in the great chain of defences erected 
at various times along the frontier. 

Frequent contests were carried on between the French and 
English, each one assisted by faithful Indian allies and the re- 
sults were both bloody and destructive, as neither party, even 
were they so disposed, could always repress the Indian nature, as 
shown in the determination to burn and scalp after a battle. 

This contest between French and English in America was 
carried on for over a hundred years, and finally ceased in 1763, 
when the French rule in North America was wiped out. It 
virtually ceased in 1759, after the capture of Quebec by Gen. Wolfe. 

After the Declaration of Independence, this section saw a few 
years of comparative quiet, and the settlement of Western New 
York prospered. The defense of this boundary was also con- 
sidered, though the next war saw the British in possession at one 
time of the entire American bank of the Niagara. 

The declaration of the war of 1812 threw this section into a fer- 
ment. Buffalo and Fort Niagara were the American strongholds, 
Fort Erie and Queenston Heights those of the British. 

August 11, 1842, Gen. Van Eenssalaer of the New York militia 
established headquarters at Lewiston. October 15, he crossed the 
river and captured Queenston Heights. Soon after, Gen. Brock 
arrived and attacked him. Brock was killed in the engagement. 
Another reinforcement of British soon arrived, and as Van Rens- 
selaer's volunteers on the American side proved to be cowards 
and refused to cross to aid their comrades, these gallant fellows 
were totally defeated in sight of their comrades. This was the 
chief event of the year 1812 on the frontier. 

Late in the year 1813, Gen. McClure crossed from Fort Niagara, 
and destroyed the Canadian town of Newark, but thinking Fort 
Niagara secure, he returned to Buffalo. Col. Murray of the English 
surprised Fort Niagara and captured it December 19, 1813. Then 
the people were terror-stricken and fled for their lives. The 
Indians, the old allies of the English, were drawn to their stand- 
ard, and scoured the country. The British captured and burnt 
Lewiston, Niagara Falls and the Tuscarora village between Decem- 
ber 20 and 29, and Buffalo December 30. 

Early in 1814, Gen. Brown took command, and with him were 
Scott, Gaines, Porter, Miller and others. Then the campaign was 
pushed with zeal and energy. Then followed victories, Chippewa, 



Lundy's Lane the famous sortie from Fort Erie and the total 
defeat of the British and soon after these peace, resulting for the 
Americans according to Lord Beaconsfi eld's famous aphorism in 
" Peace with Honor." 

Of many of these points of historical interest and of the events 
which happened there, we shall later on give a more detailed de- 
scription, and shall also give many facts and figures in relation to 
the Kiver itself, which it would be difficult to find elsewhere. 

GEOLOGICAL. 

Within the memory of men now living, the Falls have receded 
100 feet. This naturally prompts the question, where did the 
retrocession begin? Geologists tell us, and their answer is ac 
cepted as conclusive, at the mountain near Lewiston. The whole 
waters of the lakes there foamed over this dam, which was several 
miles in width. This accounts for the shells, etc., which have been 
found on Goat Island, it having been submerged ; also for the shells 
found on the land along the river up stream, shells which enabled 
Lyell, Hall and others to prove that the Niagara once flowed 
through a shallow valley. 

That it cut the gorge is geologically equally decided. There is 
no better place to study geology and the strata of rocks than this 
gorge that Niagara has cut. Mr. Allen in his Guide Book says : 
" Not only has the Niagara River cut the gorge ; it has carried away 
the chips of its own workshop. The slate being probably crum- 
bled, is easily carried away. But at the base of the Fall, we find 
large boulders, and by some means or other they were removed 
down the River. 

" The ice which fills the gorge in Winter, and which grapples 
with the boulders, has been regarded as the transporting agent. 
Probably it is so to some extent. But erosion acts without ceas- 
ing on the abutting points of the boulder, thus withdrawing their 
support and urging them down the River. Solution also does its s 
portion of the work. That solid matter is carried down is proved 
by the difference of depth between the Niagara River and Lake 
Ontario, where the River enters. The depth falls from seventy- 
two feet to twenty feet, in consequence of the deposition of solid 
matter caused by the diminished motion of the River. Near the 
mouth of the gorge at Queenston, the depth, according to the 
Canadian Admiralty Chart, is 180 feet ; well, within the gorge it is 
132 feet. 

" We may add a word regarding the proximate future of Niagara. 
At the rate of excavation assigned to it by Sir Charles Lyell, 



namely a foot a year, 5000 years or so will carry the Horseshoe 
Fall far higher than Goat Island. As the gorge recedes, it will 
drain, as it has hitherto done, the banks right and left of it, thus 
leaving nearly a level terrace between Goat Island and the edge 
of the gorge. Higher up it will totally drain the American branch 
of the Kiver, the channel of which will in due time become cul- 
tivatable land. The American Fall will then be transformed into a 
dry precipice, forming a simple continuation of the cliffy boundary 
of the Niagara. At the place occupied by the Fall at this moment 
we shall have the gorge inclosing a right angle, a second whirl- 
pool being the consequence of this. To those who visit Niagara a 
few milleniums hence, I leave the verification of this prediction." 
Various authorities put the recession at from one inch to one foot 
a year. " When doctors disagree, etc." 

There is some gradual wearing away of the soft limestone, vary- 
ing with the volume of water, but every spring the frost and 
elements accomplish a year's work by breaking off some large 
pieces, tons in weight. Thus the deeper water, swifter current 
and greater weight and force of the Horserhoe Fall cuts the rock 
away faster than the shallow waters of the American Fall do. 
Allen says. "All the phenomena point distinctly to the center 
of the River as the place of the greatest mechanical energy, 
and from the center the vigor of the Fall gradually dies away to- 
ward the sides. The horseshoe form, with the concavity facing 
downward, is an obvious and necessary consequence of this action. 
Right along the middle of the River, the apex of the curve pushed 
its way backward, cutting along the center a deep and compara- 
tively narrow groove, and draining the sides as it passes them." 

Prof. James Hall, in his geology of the 4th district of New York 
state, suggests the possibility of their having been three separate 
falls, one above the other, when the Falls first began to recede. 
The face of the gorge from the Falls to Lewiston and along the 
ridge shows us exactly through what kind of rocks the gorge was 
cut. Prof. Hall gives these as the strata of the rocks : 

1 . Niagara limestone. 

2. Soft shale. 

3. Compact grey limestone. 

4. Shale. 

5. Sandstone constituting, with Nos. 6, 7 and 8 the Medina group 

6. Shale and marl. 

7. Quartz sandstone. 

8. Red sandstone. 

9 



In his work on Niagara, Holley thus explains the progress of 
Niagara : 

" Before reaching the whirlpool, the mass becomes, practically, 
resolved into numbers three, four and five, the limestone, as a 
general rule, growing thicker and harder, and the shale also, as 
we follow up the stream. 

" The reason why retrocession of the Fall is possible is found in 
the occurrence of the shale noted above as underlying the rock. 
It is a species of indurated clay, harder and softer according to 
the pressure to which it may have been subjected. When pro- 
tected from the action of the elements, it retains its hardness, but 
when exposed to them, it gradually softens and crumbles away. 
After a time the superstratum of rock, which is full of cracks and 
seams, is undermined and precipitated into the chasm below. If 
the stratum of shale lies at or near the bottom of the channel 
below the Fall it will be measurably protected from the action of 
the elements. In this case, retrocession will necessarily be very 
gradual. If above the Fall the shale projects upward from the 
channel below, then in proportion to the elevation and thickness 
of its stratum will be the ease and rapidity of disintegration and 
retrocession. It results, therefore, that the shale furnishes a very 
good standard by which to determine the comparative rapidity 
with which retrocession has been accomplished at different 
points. 

" From the base of the escarpment at Lewiston up the narrow 
bend in the channel above the Devil's Hole, a distance of four and 
a quarter miles, the shale varies in thickness above the water 
from one hundred and thirty feet at the commencement of the 
gorge to 110 feet at the extremity of the bend. Here, although 
there is very little upward curve in the limestone, yet there is a 
decided curve upward in the Medina group, noticed above, com- 
posed mainly of a hard, red sandstone. It projects across the 
chasm, and also extends upward to near the neck of the Whirl- 
pool, where it dips suddenly downward. The two strata of shale 
becoming apparently united, follow its dip and also extend upward 
until they reach the maximum elevation near the middle of the 
Whirlpool. Thence the shale gradually dips again to the Rail- 
way Suspension Bridge, three-quarters of a mile above. For the 
remaining one and a half miles from this Bridge to the present 
site of the Falls, the dip is downward to the new Suspension 
Bridge, where it rises again and passes under the Falls to Table 
Rock." 

10 



FIRST VISITED BY WHITE MEN. 

We do not know when white men first visited Niagara, though 
after the discovery of the St. Lawrence in 1534, any of the traders 
and adventurers who sought this region may have done so at any 
time. 

Jacques Cartier, in his description of his second voyage, 1536, 
speaks of a cataract, but he never saw it. Samuel Champlain, in a 
book of his voyages, published in 1613, indicates a waterfall on a map. 

In 1648, the Jesuit Father, Ragueneau, in a letter, speaks of the 
cataract, and locates it very correctly, and on Sanson's Map of 
Canada, 1657, it is indicated. 

Du Creux, in 1660, in a work, " Historige Canadensis," indicated, 
Niagara on a map, but he did not describe the Falls, and it is 
doubted if he ever saw them. 

The first description that we have is that of Father Hennepin, 
published in 1678. We here quote a part of his description, and 
also reproduce his picture of the Falls, which was the first known 
representation of Niagara. 

"CHAP. VII. 

A description of the Fall of the River Niagara, which is to be seen be- 
twixt the Lake Ontario and that of Erie. 

BEtwixt the Lake Ontario and Erie, there is a vast and prodig- 
ious Cadence of Water, which falls down after a surprizing 
and astonishing manner, insomuch that the Universe does not af- 
ford its Parallel. 'Tis true, Italy and Suedeland boast of some such 
Things; but we may well say they are but sorry patterns, when 
compar'd to this of which we now speak. At the foot of this hor- 
rible Precipice, we meet with the River Niagara, which is not 
above a quarter of a League broad, but is wonderfully deep in 
some places. It is so rapid above this Descent, that it violently 
hurries down the wild Beasts while endeavoring to pass it to feed 
on the other side, they not being able to withstand the force of its 
Current, which enevitably casts them headlong above Six hundred 
foot high. 

This wonderful Downfall is compounded of two cross-streams of 
Water, and two Falls, with an isle sloping along the middle of it. 
The Waters which fall from this horrible Precipice, do foam and 
boyl after the most hideous manner imaginable , making an out- 
rageous Noise, more terrible than that of Thunder ; for when the 
Wind blows out of the South, their dismal roaring may be heard 
more than Fifteen Leagues off. 

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12 



The River Niagara having thrown it self down this incredible 
Precipice, continues its impetuous course for two Leagues together, 
to the great Rock above-mention'd, with an inexpressible rapid- 
iiy : But having passed that, its impetuosity relents, gliding along 
more gently for other two Leagues,' till it arrives at the Lake Ontario 
or Frontenac. 

Any Bark or greater Vessel may pass from the Fort to the foot 
of this huge Rock above mention'd. This Rock lies to the West- 
ward, and is cut off from the Land by the River Niagara, about 
two Leagues further down than the great Fall, for which two 
Leagues the People are oblig'd to transport their goods overland ; 
but the way is very good ; and the Trees are very few, chiefly Firrs 
and Oaks. 

From the great Fall unto this Rock, which is to the West of the 
River, the two brinks of it are so prodigious high, that it would 
make one tremble to look steadily upon the Water, rolling along 
with a rapidity not to be imagin'd. Were it not for this vast Cat- 
aract, which interrupts Navigation, they might sail with Barks, or 
greater A r essels, more than Four hundred and fifty Leagues, crossing 
the Lake of Hurons, and reaching even to the farther end of the 
Lake Illinois, which two Lakes we may easily say are little Seas of 
fresh Water." 

The Rock above mentioned was a huge bolder or mass that was 
found on the river bank near the foot of the mountain, and just 
above the village of Lewiston. 

Hennepin was the priest and historian who accompanied Chev- 
alier Robert da La Salle. This leader ascended the St. Lawrence, 
built a trading post at Fort Niagara, visited the Falls, built in 
Cayuga Creek on the American side, 5 miles above the Falls, the 
Griffin, 60 tons burden. August 7, 1679, she set sail, the first ves- 
sel that ever floated on the Upper Lakes. She crossed Lake 
Huron, but on the return foundered with all on board. 

THE NIAGARA EIVER. 

The Niagara River, one of the shortest, but one of the most 
famous rivers in the world, is a part of the system by which the 
waters of the Great Lakes are carried to the ocean. Its entire 
length is only 36 miles — 22 miles from Lake Erie to the Falls, and 
14 miles from the Falls to Lake Ontario. 

The Niagara River is merely one link in the chain which con- 
ducts the waters of Lake Superior to the Atlantic. It is called 
the Niagara River between the two Lakes, Erie and Ontario. 

13 




11 





355 miles long. 


160 miles wide. 


Lake Huron . 


260 


100 


" Michigan 


320 


70 


" St. Clair 


49 


15 


" Erie . . 


290 


65 



When it leaves Lake Ontario, it is the River St. Lawrence, which 
is 700 miles long, and falls into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

It is part of the boundary line between the U. S. and Canada 
so decreed by the treaty of Ghent in 1815. By that treaty, the 
boundary line runs through the center of the Great Lakes, and 
through the deepest channel of the rivers. By this means, over 
three-fourths of the islands in the River, including all the import- 
ant ones but one, belong to the U. S. Of these islands, there are 
in all 36, of which Grand Island is the largest and Goat Island the 
most famous. 

In its course, the River falls 336 feet, as follows: From Lake 
Erie to the Rapids above the Falls, 15 feet ; in the Rapids, 55 feet ; 
at the Falls, 161 feet ; from Falls to Lewiston,98 feet ; from Lewis- 
ton to Lake Ontario, 7 feet. 

Its sources are, Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in 
the world. 

1030 feet deep. 

1000 

1000 

20 

84 

Several smaller lakes, with one hundred rivers, large and small, 
pour their waters this way, draining a country of more than one 
hundred and fifty thousand square miles. This is the drainage of 
almost half a continent, and whose remotest springs are 2000 
miles from the ocean. 

With such a supply, it is not surprising that the volume of the 
Niagara River is never noticeably diminished. 

Through the mouth of the St. Lawrence, more fresh water pours 
into the ocean than through the mouth, probably, of any one river 
in the w r orld. 

The River, over the American Falls, falls 159 feet, and over the 
Canadian, 165, the difference being caused by the greater accumu- 
lation of rock at the base of the former. 

The Niagara is never frozen over, but it accumulates more ice 
than any other river in the world. 

From records kept, a rise in height of water of one foot at top of 
Falls, will by actual measurement, raise it 17J feet below. 

The River, within 4 or 5 miles of the Falls, contains some of the 
best fishing grounds to be found anywhere. 

On the surface below the Falls, the current, when the water is 
smooth, runs on an average about six or seven miles per hour. 
Sailors say, about 30 or 40 feet deep it runs, at least, 10 or 12 



| knots. And this is the reason, we think, why saw-logs and other 
bodies plunging over the Horseshoe Fall are not seen until they 
come up at the Whirlpool, a distance of three miles. 

There is a tradition that there is a periodical rise and fall in 
the level of the Lakes, embracing a period of 14 years. In 1843, 
1857 and 1871 the Niagara Eiver was very low. 

March 29, 1843, a heavy gale from the West caused the highest 
water ever known. The water rose 6 feet perpendicularly on the 
Rapids. 

On March 29, 1848, a strong East wind drove the water back into 
Lake Erie. The heavy ice was wedged in at the mouth of the 
Eiver. This dammed the water up, and soon the River was nearly 
dry. The rocks under the rapids were bare, and people walked 
and drove over them. The Falls, of course, shrank to a mere 
nothing. The next morning, the ice was forced out, and Niagara 
resumed its sway, but the sights and the experiences of that day 
were novel ones. 

The average depth of the River from Lake Erie to the Falls is 
about 20 feet. In some places it is over two miles wide. At the 
narrowest point, near the Whirlpool, the current is above 40 miles 
per hour, and at the widest part, about 4 miles per hour. 

Between the Falls and the Whirlpool, the depth varies from 75 
to 200 feet. At the Whirlpool Rapids, it is estimated at 250 feet ; in 
the Whirlpool, at 400. But it should be recalled that this is the 
depth of the water alone. The mass of stone, gravel, shale, etc., 
which in one way and another has been carried into the chan- 
nel, lies below the water and above the original bottom of the 
Gorge, which, therefore, is probably as deep again. Various esti- 
mates have been given of the amount of water going over the Falls. 
A point 300 feet wide below the Falls being selected, the depth 
estimated, and the velocity of the current known, it was estimated 
that 1,500,000,000 cubic feet passed that point every minute. 

Another estimate says 100,000,000 of tons pass through the 
Whirlpool every hour. 

Judge DeVeaux estimated that 5,000,000,000, barrels go over 
every 24 hours; 211,836,853 barrels an hour; 3,536,614 barrels a 
minute ; 58,343 barrels each second. 

NIAGARA FALLS. 

The Falls are in latitude 43° 6" North ; longitude 2° 5" West 
from Washington, or 79° 5" West from Greenwich. 

The Horseshoe Fall has an aggregate length of over 2,000 feet ; 
the American Fall, about 800 feet. 

17 



Hennepin speaks of three Falls, the third formed by the huge 
masses of rock situated where Table Rock stood. These rocks' 1 
were of great extent, and the water being obliged to flow around 
them, formed the third Fall, and this Fall fell inward and at right 
angles to the present Fall. Seventy years later, 1751, this third 
Fall had disappeared, though still told about by the Indians. The 
reason was because the big rock had been crumbled away, and 
the channel of the big or center Fall had been cut deeper, thus 
draining this higher channel. 

Some one once suggested that when you are opposite the Falls, 
especially in the Gorge, lie down flat on your back, your head 
toward the Falls, and look at them over your head from that posi- 
tion. The sight is unique and weird. 

People are often puzzled to see the River above the Falls flow- 
ing West, knowing that Canada is North of the IT. S. and that the 
Niagara's course is North. This is caused by the position of Grand 
Island, and a glance at the map will explain it. 

In 1858, the Prince of Wales visited the Falls, which were lit up 
by calcium and colored lights placed along the chasm, and as near 
as possible to the Falls themselves. The effect was grand, and has 
never been equaled. 

The Indians, it is said in Judge De Veaux's works, have a tra- 
dition that two human beings, yearly, will be sacrificed to the 
Great Spirit of these waters. Whether any reliance can be placed 
upon the tradition of the Indians or not, it is true that almost 
every year has proved fatal to some one. 

The Indians used annually to sacrifice a life to the Great Spirit 
of the Falls, choosing the fairest daughter of the tribe to guide a 
white canoe, filled with fruits and flowers, over the dreaded brink. 

At first sight, strangers are sometimes disappointed. Either 
their expectations have been raised too high, or the grandeur of 
the scene surpasses anything they anticipated. 

The second view is frequently more expressive than the first. 
The longer the visitor tarries, the more he enjoys and appreciates. 

The Falls, it is true, when seen from above, do not appear more 
than 50 or 60 feet high ; but let the visitor go below, if he would 
get a coirect impression of this stupendous cataract. Ten times 
as much water goes over Canadian as over American Fall. 

The spray rises up in the heavens like smoke, and can be seen 
for a long way, especially when the rays of the sun are upon it. 
Judge Porter said he had thus seen the spray at a distance of 100 
miles. 

18 



If the wind is up the River, the view of the Falls is not ob- 
structed, but if it is blowing down the River, it is difficult to get 
any view of the Falls. 

In 1840, Gull Island, South of Goat Island, contained two acres 
of land. The storm of 1847, and the continued encroachments of 
the River, cut it all away, there being hardly a trace of it now. 

The view of the Falls at sunrise and sunset is particularly 
grand. 

The moonlight views of Niagara are indescribably weird and 
delicate, and it will repay the traveler to journey far to see them. 
Solar bows, formed by reflection of the sun on the spray, can be seen 
on any bright day, when the visitor is between the sun and the 
spray. Lunar bows, seen at night, are formed in a similar way, by 
Lunar beams. The spectator must be similarly placed. 

The roar of the Falls can be heard a long way if the wind blows 
toward the listener. It has been heard at Toronto, 44 miles, and 
at Buffalo, 22 miles. When the wind blows from the listener, the 
roar is hardly heard, even when one is within a few feet of the 
cataract. 

A loud roaring of the Falls is said to indicate rain. The rain 
winds come from theWest, and a West wind brings the sound over 
the village. 

Niagara Falls in Winter is a scene that no pen can describe. 
The ice bridges are simply accumulations of ice that fill the Gorge 
below r the Falls. The ice is often 30 feet thick, and its surface is, 
of course, as uneven as it is possible. These so-called bridges can 
be crossed with safety. Sometimes they extend up and down 
stream for half a mile, and several Winters it has been possible to 
walk on these bridges up the center of the River, clear past the 
American Fall, and to Goat Island, mounting the Biddle Stairs, or 
returning by the same route to the Ferry Stairs. Many people 
have taken this foolhardy journey. The ice that collects on the 
trees is formed by the spray freezing layer by layer, and is very 
hard, and pure white, and glistens in the sunlight with exceptional 
brightness. No such ice scenery — on the banks for long icicles, 
on the River for ice jams, on the trees for delicate and fantistically 
shaped ice tracery — can be found elsewhere. 

VILLAGE OF NIAGARA FALIS. 

The Village of Niagara Falls was incorporated July 6, 1848, under 
the General Act of New York, passed in 1847. It has a population 
of 4,000. On both sides of the River it is estimated that the average 
annual number of visitors to Niagara is 400,000. It is located in 

19 



what is known as the Mile Strip, a strip of land one mile in width 
along the whole length of Niagara Eiver reserved by the State in 
its early sales, and sold by the State about 1800. According to the 
State divisions, there were about 100 lots in the strip, lot No. 42 
being located at the Falls. 

After the freedom of the United States had been recognized, a 
dispute arose as to who should own that part of Western New York 
lying West of Seneca Lake. Commissioners finally gave New York 
the jurisdiction and Massachusetts the ownership. It would seem 
that the land was first sold to Phelps & Gorham, and as they par- 
tially failed to fulfill their agreement, Eobert Morris acquired it, 
and afterwards sold the Western part to the Holland Land Com- 
pany, though the Mile Strip was not included in any of the above 
sales. The part purchased by the company is known as the 
Holland Land Purchase. 

The village was originally named Manchester, and now it seems 
likely that in a very few years it will be worthy of the name. 

In 1877, it was first proposed to make an International Preser- 
vation here; to have Canada buy certain lands adjoining the 
Falls and New York State certain similar lands ; to restore them to 
a state of nature, and thus keep them forever. The report of 
the New York Commissioners in 1879 recommended that the land 
represented by the shaded part on our map be so reserved. New 
York has passed a preliminary bill, appointed commissioners, and 
a survey is now in progress. 

Numberless accidents have happened at Niagara — suicides, mur- 
ders, drowning, over the Falls, etc. One or two accidents are 
specially mentioned in this work, but it would be useless to give a 
full list of even known accidents. The number of those who have 
taken the fatal plunge at night, unseen save by the " Eye that 
sleepeth not," can never be ascertained. Some years there will be 
no known accident; again there have been twelve in a single 
season. A famous accident was that of July 19, 1853. Early in 
the morning, a man was seen on a rock in the American Kapids, 
midway between the Falls and Goat Island. He proved to be a 
Mr. Avery, who in crossing the river had been drawn into the 
Rapids and had caught there. People flocked from all over the 
country to see him. Boats and ropes were lowered. Several 
boats were lost, and two sank near him. Food was sent to him in 
tin cans. A raft was made and lowered, and reached him safely. 
He got on it and seized the ropes. It was floated over to Chapin 
Island, but caught there. A boat was lowered and touched the 

20 



raft. Avery stepped forward to get into it. The raft tipped and 
he fell into the River and was carried over the Falls after an 
eighteen-hour struggle for life. Of late years we think accidents 
are fewer and suicides much more frequent. 

Two or three events here deserve more than a passing mention. 
The first of these was the feat of walking across the River below 
the Falls on a tight rope, performed in 1858 by Blondin, a French- 
man. He first stretched his rope, a 2-inch cable, across the River 
below the old Suspension Bridge. About every eight feet, stays 
were attached to this rope, and running from each shore to near 
the center of the span ; and at each point two ropes diverged, one 
on either side to the nearest bank. Across the rope at this point, 
and afterward at a point midway between the old Suspension 
Bridge and the Falls, he repeatedly crossed the chasm, performing 
tricks — at one time wheeling a wheelbarrow ; once carrying a man 
on his back, once with peach-baskets on his feet (this when the 
Prince of Wales was a spectator), and once in the night, when an 
attempt was made to light up the chasm. He carried a heavy 
balance-pole, by which he steadied himself. He was a man of 
iron nerve, and could he have obtained permission, would have 
stretched his rope from the Terrapin Rocks to the opposite shore, 
and thus in the midst of the spray and rainbows, have essayed to 
cross the yawning gulf, and he probably would have succeeded. 

Since that time not less than three men and one woman have 
performed the feat of walking over the chasm on a tight rope. 

In 1873, a fellow, Belleni by name, stretched a rope from 
opposite the Clifton House to Prospect Park. Walking to the 
center of the rope, he three times leaped off into space and sank 
into the River below, a distance of 200 feet. He had a rubber cord 
an inch in diameter and twelve feet long constructed, one end 
being securely fastened to the rope. Holding the other end firmly 
in his descent the tension served to hold him in an upright posi- 
tion. The third time the cord broke and entangled his feet, so 
that below water he was tightly bound. He sank so deep that he 
nearly suffocated. He was picked up by the boat which was in 
readiness, but in an exhausted condition. 

In 1878, after duly advertising the fact, a man named Peer, 
dropped from the center of the new Suspension Bridge into the 
River. The platform from which he hung by his hands while 
poising himself, is still attached to the Bridge, beyond the rail in 
the center of the bridge on the side toward the Falls. He per- 
formed the feat in safety. 

21 



But the most daring feat was that performed June 15, 1861, by J. 
R. Robinson, a brave and noble man, and one whose name for 
deeds of daring and for assistance rendered to men who were 
endangered in the Rapids of the Niagara will ever be fondly 
cherished here. In 1846, a small steamer, called the " Maid of the 
'Mist," was built below the Falls, and made regular trips up close to 
the Falls and back. In 1854, a larger and better boat, 90 feet long, 
was built and continued the business successfully. In 1861, being 
restricted to the Canadian shore for passengers, she did not pay, 
and as the sheriff was about to levy on her for debt it was neces- 
sary to get her away. There was but one route. But who would 
pilot her ? No one but Robinson, and he agreed to deliver her at 
Lake Ontario, and he did. Two men went with him, and on the 
date above they started. In the AVhirlpool Rapids the boat was 
terribly battered and her smoke-stack torn off, the men being 
knocked down and powerless. When she reached the Whirlpool, 
Robinson seized the tiller, and before she was sucked into any of 
the eddies, guided her into the outlet, whence, through the rushing, 
dashing waters, she sped like a bird and reached Lewiston and 
quiet waters in safety. Robinson is said to have received $500 for 
his services during the 20 minutes intervening between leaving 
the ferry stairs and the arrival at Lewiston. Robinson and his 
two companions are the only men who ever passed through the 
Whirlpool alive. 

The village is a splendid manufacturing point. Its location is 
central ; water-power is plentiful and reasonable. The village has 
all modern improvements ; taxes are light, and there is no debt of 
any kind. Railway facilities of all kinds and over all roads are 
unsurpassed. Raw material can be received by water via the 
Erie Canal from the East, and via the Niagara River from the 
great lakes. 

The Hydraulic Canal in this village was completed in 1855. 
This canal can be cut 100 feet wide at any time, and will 
then furnish unlimited water-power. The canal was bought by 
J. F. Shoelkopf in 1878. Since then its basin has been enlarged, 
and a huge penstock or shaft, 50 feet square and 100 feet deep, has 
been sunk down into the rock. A tunnel connects the bottom 
of this shaft with the Gorge below the Falls, and thus 3,000 extra 
horse-power has been attained, and this power, by belts and ropes, 
is transmitted long distances in all directions. 

Niagara, through her hackmen, bears a bad name the world 
over. These men are not as bad as represented ; neither are the 

22 



great majority of them swindlers. As in every other business, 
there are bad ones as well as good. The worst feature about them 
is the way in which they follow people and importune them to 
fide. They seem to have no comprehension of the meaning of 
the word "no." If the State ever makes an International Park at 
this place, they will doubtless establish a special police force, 
and a special court of justice, and will control the principal streets, 
as they would be the avenues leading to this Park. When this 
becomes an accomplished fact, that class of Niagara hackmen who 
are now so obnoxious will, under the shade of stern law and justice, 
be forever crowded out of the place. In dealing with them, make 
a definite bargain in advance; stipulate exactly as to tolls; the 
names and number of the points of interest to be visited; the 
time. to be occupied; and that there are to be no extras, and there 
will usually be little trouble. 

We append below the rates of fare allowed by law in the Village 
of Niagara Falls, N. Y., for the use of carriages : 

RATES OF FAKE ALLOWED BY LAW, 

FOR THE USE AND HIRE OP CARRIAGES WHERE NO EXPRESS CONTRACT 
IS MADE THEREFOR: 

For carrying one passenger and ordinary baggage from one place 
to another in the village, 50 cents. 

Each additional passenger and ordinary baggage, 25 cents. 

For carrying one passenger and ordinary baggage from any point 
in this village to any point in the Village of Suspension Bridge, 
1 dollar. 

Each additional passenger and ordinary baggage, 50 cents. 

Each additional piece of baggage other than ordinary baggage 
12 cents. 

Children under 3 years of age, free. 

Over 3 years and under 14 years, half price. 

Ordinary baggage is denned to be 1 trunk and 1 bag, hat or 
bandbox, or other small parcel. 

For carrying one or more passengers, in the same carriage, from 
any point in this village to any point within 5 miles of the limits 
of the village, at the rate of $1.50 for each hour occupied, except 
that in every instance where such carriage shall be drawn by a 
single horse, the fare therefor shall be at the rate of 1 dollar for 
each hour occupied. 



PREFATORY. 



In the preparation of this entire work, we have endeavored to 
tell fully and plainly what there is to see at Niagara Falls and in 
the neighborhood, so that our Guide may be used by all coming 
here as a means of selecting points of interest to visit, and after- 
wards taken abroad to show to absent friends what has been 
seen. Keeping that object in view, we have inserted many fine 
cuts illustrative of the Falls and vicinage, and believe that our 
efforts to assist our readers in this particular will be widely 
appreciated. 

The maps accompanying this book have been specially prepared 
for it and will be of great service, as they point out the relative | 
position of the different points of interest. 

In order to proceed regularly in our task, we have placed the 
various points of interest in the order in which they usually are 
and in which they always ought to be visited — the Goat Island 
Group coming first in the category, as it is indisputably the finest 
piece of property in the world as a Summer or Winter scene. By 
following this arrangement visitors will see the whole of Niagara to 
the best advantage, in the easiest and quickest way and w 7 ith the 
least needless expense. 



24 



^ "3 -Bmtkrr* 




Map ot (ioat Islaud. 



POINTS OF INTEREST, 




Bridal Veil Fall. 



GOAT ISLAND. 

The " Goat Island Group" so called, is an estate consisting of a 
large island standing on the verge of the cliff over which the 
Cataract pours, and dividing the River in such a manner as to form 
from its waters two Falls — the one being known as the " Ameri- 
can " and the other as the " Horseshoe or Canadian Falls," and in- 
cludes several other smaller islands, notably Bath Island, Lunai 
Island, Terrapin Rocks, Three Sisters Islands, and ten others note 
yet accessible by bridges. 



Originally, the first man who had any right to name " Goat" 
sland, called it very properly " Iris Island" and it ought to be 
nown under that appellative. It owes its present singular name 
•> a local fact. In 1779, a Mr. John Stedman, having cleared a 
ortion of the upper end of the Island, placed some goats (notable 
Inong them an aged male goat) upon it. During the ensuing 
Winter it was impossible to reach the Island, and the animals were 
illed by the cold. The people named the Island after the repre- 
mtative of the flock " Goat Island," a cognomen which has ever 
nee adhered to it. 

These islands were originally owned by the State of New York. 
t one time it was proposed to establish a prison and at another 
me an arsenal at Goat Island. 

In 1814, General and Judge Porter bought of Samuel Sherwood a 
aper called a Float, given by the state as pay for military services 
ndered, authorizing the bearer to locate 200 acres of land on any 
F the unsold or unappropriated land belonging to the State. Part 
F this they located on Goat and other adjacent islands, immediate- 
above and adjoining the Great Falls, their patent bearing date 
$16 and signed by Daniel D. Tompkins as Governor, and Martin 
an Buren as Attorney-General of New York. An early record 
lys the Island once contained 250 acres of land ; at present the 
roup contains some 65 acres. The area of Goat Island is sixty - 
ue and a half acres ; its circumference about one mile. A strip 
bout 10 rods w T ide and 80 rods long has been washed aw T ay on 
le South side since the first road was made in 1818. Long before 

was bridged, it was visited from time to time by persons to 
horn its attractions were of more importance than the peril of 
caching it. The late Judge Porter, who visited it in 1805, found 
ames cut in the bark of a beech near the Horseshoe Falls, with 
le subjoined dates of 1771, 1772 and 1779. The first bridge to 
lis group was built in 1817, and reached to the head of Goat 

land. The next Winter the high water and the ice washed it 
way. 

In 1818, another bridge was built, but lower down, on the site of 
le present one. This was repaired frequently till 1856, when the 
resent iron bridge was constructed. The foundation consists of 
ak cribs, filled with stones and covered with plates of iron. The 
aperstructure is of iron, and consists of four arches of ninety feet 
pan each, supported between these piers. The whole length of 
he bridge is three hundred and sixty feet, and its width is 
^venty -seven feet. Of this a double carriage way occupies sixteen 



and a half feet, and two foot ways, one either side of the carriage 
way, five and a quarter feet each. Visitors often ask how the firsl 
bridge was built over the Kapids. 

A suitable pier and platform was built at the water's edge ; lon^ 
timbers were projected over this abutment the distance thej 
wished to sink the next pier, heavily loaded on the end next to 
the shore with stone, to prevent their moving. Legs were framec 
through the ends of the projecting timbers, resting upon the rock} 
bottom, thus forming a temporary pier, around which a more sul 
stantial one was built. These timbers were then securel; 
fastened to this pier, cross-boards were spiked on and the fire 
section was done. The plan was repeated for each arch. 

Goat Island was, in ancient times, one of the favorite burying 
grounds of the Indians, and yet preserves traces of their funeral 
rites. It was particularly revered as the spot where chiefs and 
noted warriors were buried. 

The entrance and toll gate to Goat Island is portrayed below. 

Tolls for the day, 50 cents each. Season, $1.00. Reductions to 
ftxcnrsions. 




Goat Island Toll Gate. 



Crossing the first bridge, from which both up and down stream 
is to be had one of the grandest views of the Rapids, you reach 
Bath Island, some two acres in extent. A few rods below and near 
the Falls is Chapin Island, so called because a man of that name in 
1849, while repairing the bridge, fell into the River, but succeeded 
in reaching that Island, from which he was soon rescued, 
the next bridge and you are at Goat Island.^ 



Ascend the hill, and turn to your right — by taking this route you 
get the less impressive view of the Falls, at first, and the more 
grand and imposing last ; and you get more time in which to ap- 
preciate the magnificent granduer and awful sublimity. Advancing 
for a few rods through the forest you reach one of the most charm- 
ing views of Niagara, illustrated on next page. 




Approach to Goat Island. 



Descending the stairs, on what from its shape is called " Hog's 
Back, 1 ' you stand next to the Little Fall, beneath which is the 
famous Cave of the Winds ; and crossing the little bridge at your 
ight, you reach Lnua Island. 



From the farther point, protected by an iron rail, we see the 
most desirable, near view of the American Falls and Eapids 
which are so close, that it is possible to dip the hand into the 
rushing tide passing over the verge. Here, too, one gets an ex- 
cellent view of the debris of rock and shale deposited by the action 
of the torrent at the foot of the American Fall, and also a fine 
perspective of the Gorge below. 




\£ ;5 ^N| 



American Fall from Goat Island. 



This spot is called Luna Island, because the Luna bow is seen 
here to the best advantage. 

It has often been remarked by strangers that this Island trem- 
bles, which is undoubtedly true ; but the impression is heightened 
by imagination. 

It was while climbing over the rocks directly under this Island, 
that Dr. Hungerford, of Troy, N. Y., was killed in the Spring of 
1839, by the crumbling of a portion of the rock from above. This 
is the only accident that ever occurred at Niagara by the falling of 
rock. 

30 



On the Northern shore of this Island, a few feet above the brink, 
3 a spot of mournful memory. On June 21, 1849, the family of 
lr. Deforest, of Buffalo, with a friend, Mr. Charles Acldington, 
vere viewing the scenery from this point. The party, in fine 
pirits, were about leaving the Island, when Mr. Addington ad- 
anced playfully to Miss Annetta, the little daughter of Mrs. 
)eforest, saying, " I am going to throw you in," at the same time 
ifting her over the edge of the water. With a sudden impulse of 
ear, the child sprang from his hands into the River. With a 




Bridge! Luna:Island. 

shriek, the young man sprang to save her, but before those on 
shore had time to speak or move, they had passed over the preci- 
pice. The young lady's remains were found the same afternoon 
in the Cave of the Winds ; and a few days afterward, the body of 
the gallant but fated man was likewise recovered and committed 
bo the village cemetery. This is, perhaps, the most touching 
casualty that ever occurred at the Falls. 

As you leave Luna Island, stop a moment at the foot of the 
path before ascending, and see the so-called profiles, formed by the 



inequality of projection in that portion of the precipice which ii 
formed by the Western side of Luna Island. The rock is close t< 
and almost under the American Fall. 

They obtain their name from their remarkable likeness to thre< 
human faces. 

Eeaching the top of the bank, proceed straight ahead and yoi 
soon catch the first glimpse of the "Horseshoe Falls," so calle< 
from its resemblance to that article. Years ago the name wa 
appropriate, but to-day there is not the least resemblance. Th 
building before you contains the dressing rooms for the Cave of th> 
Winds and leads to the famous Biddle Stairs, so called from th' 
President of the United States Bank, Nicholas Biddle, who in 182: 
contributed a sum of money for their erection 

They are secured to the solid rock ^ - 

by ponderous iron bolts, and are said Jjjjl 
to be perfectly safe. The perpendic- 
ular height of the bank at this place 
is 185 feet ; the staircase itself being 
80 feet high and consisting of 90 steps. 
From the stairs to the river there is a 
rude pathway ; but it is seldom trav- 
ersed, except for the purpose of ang- 
ling, an art which, at the right time 
of the year, is here practiced with the 
happiest success. 

Shortly after their erection, the well- 
known Sam Patch, whose diving pro- 
pensities made his name a household 
word, made his famous leap of 100 feet 
into the Paver in 182p. Midway be- 
tween the foot of these stairs and the 
Canadian Fall, he erected a scaffold 
96 feet high, from which he made 
his successful leap. He repeated it 
successfully the same year, then went 
to the Genese Falls at Rochester, and 
jumped, and was killed. He never 
rose to the surface after he jumped, and 
his body was not found for some days, 
and then miles away. 

No charge is made for the use of the stairs 

From the foot of Biddle's Stairs, two paths lead in opposi 

32 




Biddle Stairs from above. 



" 



directions, one toward the Canada, and the other toward the 
American Fall. The former has been obstructed by slides from 
above, and is more difficult. But it will repay your trouble for 
you will get the splendid view as shown on 
next page, which is not obtainable else- 
where. 

Taking the road to the right from the 
foot of the stairs, a few minutes' walk 
brings you to the celebrated Cave of the 
Winds, or as it is sometimes called JSoIus 
Cavern, by all means the best place to go 
behind the sheet of water. It was first 
entered in 1834, and during the past 50 
years, this curious but splendid Cave has 
been the chief charm of the locality and 
has been visited annually by hundreds. 
It is 100 by 160 feet in dimensions, and 
100 feet in height. Having been excavated 
by the action of the falling water, it forms 
a natural chamber through which, with 
suitable dresses and guides, which can be 
secured for a dollar, we can pass between 
the Cataract and the Eock, and see the 
ever-changing effect of the light passing 
through the descending mass of water; 
take a bath in the mist and spray of old 
Niagara; pass through the rainbows, and 
secure a delightful, novel and strange sen- 
sation of commingled terror and safety, 
from which we can emerge after a few 
minutes as free from any other effect of 
the water as when we entered. 
The formation of this Cave was easy. 
?he gradual wearing away by the water of the shaly substratum 
}f the precipice left the limestone rock above projecting about 
hirty feet beyond the base, thus forming an open cave, over 
rhich falls the torrent of Niagara. The compression of the 
itmosphere by the falling water is here so great that the Cave is 
endered as stormy and turbulent as that of old ^Eolus himself, 
rom whose classical majesty, indeed, it derived its first name. 

The formation of the Cave itself is explained by an illustra- 
ion farther on. 




Biddle Stairs from below. 



If the wind is blowing down the river, or from the American 
shore, you can stand with perfect safety upon a large rock, within 
a few feet of the falling sheet, without inconvenience from the 
spray. In the afternoon when the sun shines, there- is always a 
splendid rainbow, between the sheet of water and the rock, within 
a few feet of you ; and this is the only place on the globe where a 
rainbow forming an entire circle can be seen. Two, and same 
times three, have been seen at once. 

The grand trip in front of the Fall, where the water appears to; 
pour from the sky, is splendidly illustrated on page 36. 




Horseshoe Palls from below. 

After leaving the Biddle Stairs, follow the path along the ban]] 
and you soon reach the spot where a huge slice of the land ha; 
fallen. One slide occurred in 1843 and another in 1847. Within 
20 years, more than 20 feet in width and 400 feet in length hav 
gone down. Proceed a little further, and you stand above and 11 
full view of the Canadian Fall. Go down the hill and out to th 
Terrapin Kocks ; it may be tiresome, but it will amply repay yql 

This Bridge is subject to the action of the spray ; care shoul 1 
be taken in crossing it. In the Winter of 1852, a gentleman froi 
West Troy, N. Y., while crossing to the tower, fell into the cu 
rent, and was carried to the verge of the Fall, where he lodged bt 

34 



tween two rocks. He was discovered by two citizens, who rescued 
him by throwing out lines, which he fastened around his body 
just in time and was hauled in almost senseless. He remained 
speechless for several hours after being taken to his hotel. 

As you stand inside the iron rail and overlook the vast gulf be- 
low, you are in the very center of Niagara. 

The old Terrapin Tower, also 
called Horseshoe or Prospect 
Tower, of which we give an 
illustration, stood on these rocks. 
It was built in 1833, of stones 
gathered in the vicinity. A 
round tower 45 feet high, 12 feet 
diameter at base and 8 feet at 
top, with a gallery near the 
upper end — a rugged structure 
in perfect harmony with its sur- 
roundings. It was blown up by 
the wish of a majority of the 
owners of the Goat Island 
Group, in 1873, some pretending 
to believe it unsafe. Its destruc- 
tion was entirely unnecessary 
and took aways a charming 
feature of Niagara, which it is 
hoped may soon be replaced. 
Table Rock which fell in 1850, 
was directly opposite on the 
Canadian shore. 

From this point one gets the 
best view of the shape of the 
Fall, and the clearest idea of 
how it has been modified by the 
action of the water. This action 
has been especially violent of late years. On Sunday, Feb- 
ruary 1, 1852, a portion of the precipice, stretching from the 
edge of the Island to the tower, about 125 feet long and 
60 feet wide, and reaching from near the top to the bottom of the 
Fall, fell with a crash of thunder. The next day another, a triang- 
ular piece, with a base of about 40 feet, broke off just below the 
tower. Between the two portions that had thus fallen, stood a 
rectangular projection, about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide, extend- 

35 




Cave of the Winds. 




American Fall from below. 



Bpg from the top to the bottom of the precipice. This mass 
loosened from the main body of the rock and settled down per- 
pendicularly about 9 feet, where it stood for years, an enormous 
column 150 feet high by the dimensions given. 

This Fall is sometimes called the Canadian Fall. America owns 
one-half of it. The width is estimated at 144 rods. The deep 
green color of the water, especially in the angle, is supposed to be 
due to the depth. In 1827, the Michigan, a vessel condemned as 
unseaworthy, was purchased and sent over the Fall. She drew 
18 feet, and filled with water as she went through the rapids. As 
she went over the brink without touching, the depth of the 
water was proved to be 20 feet. 

As you reach the top of the bank, the path directly in front will 
lead you through the wood back to the Bridge, but you will miss 

much if you take it. Turn- 
ing to the right, you follow 
the edge of the bank for 
about forty rods and reach 
a small stone monument, 
directly in your path, mark- 
ed with a cross on the top, 
set by the surveyors to 
ascertain if the Falls recede. 
This is the best point from 
which to get a correct view 
of the shape of the Horse- 
shoe Fall. 

Go on a few feet further^ 
and soon the view shown 
on the following page, 
bursts upon you. 
This, the South side of 
the Island, is specially mentionable from the fact that it affords 
unsurpassed views of the Canadian Rapids, which run at the rate 
of 28 miles per hour. 

You soon reach the Three Sister Islands, which were connected 
with Grand Island by handsome Suspension Bridges in 1868, and 
which open up an entirely new scene. The grandest views of the 
Eapids to be found at Niagara are right before you. These Islands 
offer, from their location, an unchangeable, cool retreat in the 
warmest days of summer, with enchanting views of the scenery ; 
the cascades under the bridges, formed by the current passing 
over the ledges of rock, being amongst the chief attractions. 

37 




Terrapin Tower. 



From the head of the third Sister may be seen one eontinuoui j 
cascade, extending as far as the eye can reach, from Goat Islanc j 
across to the Canada shore, varying from ten to twenty feet ir 
height. From this miniature Niagara rises a spray similar to tha 
of the great Falls. 

The " Little Brother," a small island at the foot of the Thirc 
Sister, has not yet been bridged. 

The " Hermit's Cascade " is best seen from the First Sister Islanc 
Bridge, by which it is spanned, and is a beautiful sight. It is 
so called because Francis Abbott, The Hermit of the Falls, used tc 




bathe here. He was a young man, gentlemanly and accomplished, 
who for two years lived a solitary life at Niagara. He had a hut 
near this spot on the Island, and later on he built one in what is 
now Prospect Park. He had but little intercourse with any one, 
wrote a great deal, and always in Latin, but destroyed all manu- 
scripts almost as soon as written. On Goat Island, at hours when 
it was unfrequented, he delighted to roam, heedless, if not obliv- 
ious, of danger. At that time, a stick of timber eight inches square 
extended from Terrapin Bridge eight feet beyond the precipice. 

38 



On this he has been seen at all hours of the night, pacing to and 
fro, without the slightest tremor of nerve or hesitancy of step. 
Sometimes he was seen sitting carelessly on the extreme end of 
the timber — sometimes hanging from it by his hands and feet. 
He belonged to a respectable English family, and his reasons for 
leading this life were never known. He was drowned while 
bathing near the foot of the Park Eailway, in 1831. His body 
was recovered, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls. 
When you get back to Goat Island, you can return to the Bridge 




View on First Sister Island. 



by a short way by taking the road straight ahead through the 
woods. It is best, however, to see the other views, and to do this 
you turn to your right and follow the road directly East. 
Here one sees how it was possible for the island to have reached 
a long way up stream, for a bar extends up between the currents 
for nearly half a mile, with a depth of water not over four feet. 
This also shows how it was possible for people to visit the Island 
before the Bridge was built. 

39 



There is little trouble in coming down to the Island in a boat, 
but the return is dangerous, as, if the boat is drawn into the cur- 
rent on either side, it is almost certain death, as the water is too 
rough, too shallow and too rapid to allow the oarsman to manage 
his boat at all. 

The time to visit Goat Island is in the morning ; the earlier, the 
better. The foliage is brighter, the air cooler and purer ; one is 
better prepared physically to enjoy nature, and above all you get 
the best views, as the sun is at your back, and brightens and glori- 
fies the scenery without blinding you. Still more important, it is 
only in the morning that the glorious rainbows can be seen from 
the islands. 

After leaving the head of the Island from the road, you get a 
good view of the Eapids. Half way to the bridge is a spring of 
cool water, situated at the foot of the bank. The path to it is 




Bridge to Third Sister. 

easily accessible, and the view of the Rapids through the trees and 
at their edge is fine. 

Surrounded as it is by water, and with such a torrent of water 
on each side, and with such a head, the water-power capabilities 
of the Island in a manufacturing point of view can hardly be esti- 
mated. No other known spot could furnish such a number of 
horse-power. A canal cut through the center, and large wings or 
dams on each shore, would furnish power hardly dreamt of 
heretofore. 

Geologically, too, the Island is a mine of wealth, its Western cliff 
showing exactly the composition and dip of the rocks. Its shores 



show the action of the water, and bear the records of the past, 
while beneath its trees, and mingled with its soil, are the shells and 
alluvial deposit by which geologists have proved that ages ago, 
while Niagara was cutting its gorge from Lewiston to its present 
location, the whole of the entire section for miles and miles was 
submerged, the Niagara River being a broad and comparatively 
shallow stream. 

It is to-day a temple of nature, at whose shrine thousands from 
all over the world annually pay their tribute of praise. It is an 
important page, as before noted, in the book of the geologist, 




View from Third Sister. 

while to the botanist it is a spot sacred from the vast number of 
its present species and the preserver in the petrefactions, of leaves 
and animal life that are found within its borders, of the history of 
the vegetable kingdoms of the past. 

Goat Island presents, from the Canada side, an appearance simi- 
lar to that of the cliff of the South coast of England — it being 
near the ledge, about 170 feet in height. It is entirely composed 
of hard stone, mostly limestone, slate and marl. 



It is covered with a grand old " forest primeval/' containing 
many trees now withered and decayed, but which have stood sen- 
tinel over this scene for hundreds of years. This is an almost 
unique bit of virgin forest, and it has been the policy and pride of 
its owners to thus preserve it. In Winter, these trees are the roost- 
ing places of the crows, who come here nightly and in thousands 
from all over this section of the country. 

No sportsman is allowed to carry a gun on this Island, as it 
would endanger the lives of those who are promenading through 
it. The cottage near the Bridge is the only dwelling on the Island 

The Island is a favorite resort and study of botanists, who declare 
that they have found on it over 400 different species and kinds of 
plants and trees. It is also said that it contains a greater number 
of valuable species of the vegetable kingdom than the same area 
in any explored portion of the world. 

The scenery from the Island by moonlight is a rare sight, and 
should be enjoyed by all who have an opportunity to thus visit it. 

In Winter, the Island scenery is magnificent, for no matter 
which way the wind blows, the spray reaches some part of the 
forest where it congeals on every twig and limb, in that glittering 
sheen, and that glorious ice foliage, which is unmatched elsewhere. 

Taking the Goat Island Group as a whole, it may be said that 
they essentially form what is understood as " Niagara Falls" as they 
adjoin bothcataracts, and afford all the most desirable views here. 

PROSPECT PARK. 

Next in order comes this well known property, now embracing 
some 12 acres, and owned by the Prospect Park Co. The land 
adjoins the American Fall, with a frontage above the Fall of some 
400 feet, and along the gorge a still longer frontage. 

It comprises what was known 
as the old ferry, which was pri- 
vate property, and which used 
to be free to all, but in 1872, this 
company purchased, enlarged 
and improved it, and charged 
admission. From time to time, 
adjoining lands have been ad- 
ded, till it now embraces all the 
land between Canal street and 
the River, extending from Rap- 
ids street to the New Suspen- 
sion Bridge. 

42 




^Entrance to Prospect Park. 



Its Main Entrance is a tasty structure, at the foot of Casql 
street, and is here portrayed. The point of land at the edge ai 
brink of the Falls, is called Prospect Point, and commands a fi: ] 
view, which is the feature of the Park, which we give in illusti I 
tion. The point is carefully protected by a handsome stone wj 
running for some distance along the edge of the Gorge. 
[ By some 300 stairs, or better still, in a car running on an inclhJ 
railway, we descend to the waters edge. These cars are raised ai J 
lowered by water power, by means of a 3-inch cable 300 feet lor 
rnnning around and over steel wheels. At the foot of the staiJ 
way are the dressing rooms for the Shadow of the Eock, as tr 
space between the Rock and the sheet of water at the end of I 
American Falls is called, and where one can go in as far as his hi 
clination may prompt. 

Here is also an observatory built of stone, a place from whicl 
when the spray is blown down the river, one can see the Fal 
from a sheltered place. Here is also the Hurricane Bridg; 
whence, when the spray is blown the other way, one can get 
near view of the Falls and of the rocks which lie at its base. 

Over the Hurricane Bridge and the rocks near by is formed eac j 
winter a huge mountain of solid ice, which does not entirely din 
appear till the end of May. This ice mountain has been 100 fee 
high. On the top of the observatory and dressing room too, the iq 
often forms 4 feet thick. 
A view of the observatory is shown on opposite page. 
At this point is also a ferry to Canada. By small row boats th! 
ride is pleasant and entirely free from danger, and the view 
grand, in fact the view from the center of the river and opposit 
the American Fall is one that should not be missed. 

The annexed view is the on] 
seen as the boat lands at its Can 
ada dock. There has been a ferry 
here for 75 years, and no acci 
dent has ever happened. 

On the table-land above, whicl 
forms the Park proper, every aic i 
of science has been used in pre* 
paring the means of passing time 
pleasantly, a handsome Art Gafy 
lery and Pavilion have beer 
erected, while the beautiful Elec 
trie Light, thrown through white 




Horseshoe Falls. 




46 



ountains of water, and called the Electric Fountains, give at night 
, magical effect seldom witnessed. The grounds are illuminated 
ach evening by the electric light, and one edge of the American 
fall and Kapids are also illuminated. Although mainly the result 
I artificial aids to the natural scenery of the Falls it is a most 
njoy able park, and as such well worth a visit. The officers of 
^ie Company are, H. Nielson, President and D. J. Townsend, 
ecretary and Treasurer. 

The charges for admission to the park are : For the day, 25 cents ; 
ticluding railway, 50 cents ; for the day and electric light, 40 cents ; 
br the evening— electric light, 25 cents ; Canada and return by 
ferry, 50 cents. 

A few accidents, or rather suicides, have occurred from near this 
>oint since 1872. In 1880 a man entered the park, and after a short 
ime jumped into the river just near the toll gate, and waded 
tit. He was swept downward, and those who saw the act, supposed 
ie was lost; but about 300 feet from the Falls, and while about 50 
feet from shore, he succeeded, in getting a foothold, changed his 
hind, and was safely aided to the shore. 

He was probably the only man who ever got so thoroughly 

ithin the power of the Falls, and yet escaped alive. 

NEW SUSPENSION BEIDGE. 

Next in order comes the new Suspension Bridge, below the 
Imerican Fall. It is a Carriage and Foot Brige, built by 2 com- 
panies. 1 Canadian and 1 American, in 1872. The first ropes 
k-ere carried over on the Ice Bridge. It is said to be the longest 
3ridge suspended span in the world; from shore end of one 
ibwn to shore end of the other, being 1268 feet, or about a quarter 
)f a mile. 

The deflection of the cables at centre— is 91 ft. in Summer and in 
Winter 88 feet, making a rise and fall of the bridge from changes 
}f temperature 3 feet. The length of cables between anchorages is 
1828 feet. Fine views can be had from the top of the towers. 
Height of bridge above water, 190 feet. It is capable of carrying 
L3 times as much as can by any ordinary circumstances be placed 
lpon it. Its towers are 100 feet high. Charges : Each person, 
bach way, 25 cents. 

Visitors at Niagara Falls usually cross to Canada via this Bridge, 
Dn reaching the Canada Shore, at a point near the Clifton House, 
one gets one of the best general views to be obtained of Niagara, 
^hough personally we prefer the view as we stand up near the 
edge of the Falls, a view of which we give on next page. 



47 



viear Table Rock is a Museum containing a very full and very 
collections of all sorts of curiosities usually found in such a 
r. Admission to museum and gardens, 50 cents. 

TABLE ROCK. 

ie of the most famous points about Niagara in the old times 
w gone forever, was Table Rock. This was at this point on the 
da side, about 10 rods below the Falls and was simply a huge 
J of rock overhanging the precipice. 

The form and dimensions of 
Table Rock were originally very 
large, but they were changed by 
frequent and violent disruptions. 
In July, 1818, a mass broke off 
160 feet in length, and from 30 
to 40 feet in width. December 
9, 1828, three immense portions, 
reaching under the Horseshoe 
Fall, fell " with a shock like an 
earthquake." In the summer of 
1829, another large mass fell off, 
and June 26, 1850, a piece 200 
feet long and 60 feet deep fell, 
the last piece of the table. Those 
who wish to go under the Horse- 
shoe Fall can descend a road cut 
from the Museum to the foot of 
the bank. Dresses can be pro- 
cured and guides obtained to 
pass under Table Rock. Ascer- 
tain definitely the charge and 
that there are to be no extras, 
before starting. 

It was on Table Rock that Mrs. 

►Sigourney wrote her spirited 

Apostrophe to Niagara. Standing 

right at the edge of the water, 

here it pours over, a grander or more imposing sight cannot 

■ ! e imagined. Below lies the Niagara, its waters boiling and 

i ng after the plunge, and for fully a thousand feet from the 

s f the Falls, as white as milk. Above are the rapids rushing 
ly toward you and in the middle of these surroundings man 

1 (lis own littleness and dependence. 




Stairs on the Canada Side. 




The Terrapin Rocks, as we have said before, are the very cent 
of Niagara, no spot can surpass it. Next to that, we think, tl 
point we have just described, is the best. 

One should visit Canada in the afternoon, for the sun is then 
your back and its fall glory is thrown on the opposite Falls, ar 
in the afternoon alone, can rainbows be seen from the Canac 
side. 

BURNING SPRINGS. 

Following along the River bank one crosses to Cedar Island, c 
which is an observatory or pagoda, and skirting along the rapic 
for about a mile, with as fine scenery as Niagara can afford, yo 
reach the beautiful Clark Hill Islands, 3 in number, and connecte 

by beautiful Su , 
pension Bridgei 
erected in 187:" 
The scenery hei 
is grand, each tur 
bringing you t 
some new featui 
or bit of nature 
but the main a 
traction is th 
Burning Spring 
which is on th 
edge of the Rive 
and where the cui 
rent runs fort 
miles an hour. 

The Spring was known, and tradition says, worshipped by th 
Indians, who considered it as one form of the Great Spirit. Th 
water of the Spring is highly charged with sulphuretted hydroge; 
gas and when lit omits a pale blue light. This natural jet of gas i 
exhibited in a darkened room for effect, and runs up flames §1 
about 4 feet in height. Glasses of the gaseous water are give]' 
to visitors and are said to possess rare medicinal propertied 
This Spring consists of a jet of natural gas emitted from th 
subterranean rock, through artificial fissures ; the method m 
collecting and burning the gas being also shown. From th 
appearance of the flame it would be just to suppose tha 
large and valuable coal fields exist under this property ; an 
at some future time the natural forces of the current maj 

50 




Cedar Island 



be used to develop 
that interest. 

The admission 
so the whole is 
30 cents. 

! On the bank 
ibove, near this 
^pot, July 5, 1814, 
jvas fought the bat- 
le of Chippewa. 

We append two 
uts of the bridges 
nd scenery about 
hese beautiful 
slands. 

WHIRLPOOL, CANADA SIDE. 

Driving back along the edge of the River, past the New Suspen- 
ion Bridge, and 2 miles more along the edge of the Bluff, we reach 
he Whirlpool, Canada side, which overlooks the boiling maelstrom. 
rOm here one looks down into the Whirlpool itself, while directly 
way from him winds the Niagara till it is lost in Lake Ontario 
>eyond. You can descend by car to the waters edge, obtaining 
rand views, both of the Rapids as they enter the Whirlpool 
nd also of this wonderful basin itself. From here Brock's Mon- 
iment is visible on a clear day. Admission, 50 cents. 

We present on following page the view as seen from this point. 

WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS PARK. 

In the reach of the River, below the Old Suspension Bridge, is 
^hat is generally known as the Whirlpool Rapids Park (Canada 
ide). It comprises the natural uplands of the river bank, which, 
t this point, are 250 feet high, as well as a road at the base of the 
liff, which follows the course of the river, and has been excava- 

d from the rock. In the warm days of summer this is a most 
elightfully cool and shady retreat, the cliff forming a natural pro- 
action from the rays of the sun, while the immediate presence 
f the swift-rolling waters ensures a perennial coolness. Two 
leans of access to the water's edge are provided, the first being 

series of steps forming a long flight of stairs, and the other a 
nique inclined railway operating two cars running by the specific 
tavity of water in the tanks under each car filled from a spring 
t the top of the cliff and emptied on the arrival of the cars at the 
Dot of the incline. The ascent or descent is made in 1J minutes, 
tie loaded car from above being the motive power used to hoist 

51 



the lighter car from below. The visit to this Park, including h I 
way, costs 50 cents. Nowhere else can so perfect an idea 
the enormous power of the Kiver be obtained. Rushing throu 
the narrow denies, the water here meets with such restriction, 
to make it leap in some places to height of 20 feet, the rolli 
surges of the stream being exactly similar to those of the oce 
in a storm. 




View from Whirlpool, Canada Side. 

Taylor Island, noted in 1881 as the spot where some dogs, afte 
wards rescued, were temporarily in danger of dying from starv 
tion, is exactly opposite on the American side. It is also well 
add here a brief mention of the excellent photographic arrang 
ments of this Park — persons or parties can here be photographs 
with the Rapids in the background, the picture making one of tl 
most interesting and noteworthy obtainable. 

OLD SUSPENSION BRIDGE. 

The Railroad Suspension Bridge, more commonly call the 
Bridgets 2 miles below the Falls, is 800 feet long, and spans, 230 fe 
above its waters, one of the most turbulent streams on the glot 
whose current just below flows at the rate of 30 miles an hour. '. 



as 2 distinct roadways, the one above for trains, the one below for 
irriages and foot passengers. It is owned by 2 stock companies 
iid cost $500,000. It was built under the superintendence of J. A. 
foebling, and finished in 1858. 
The following are the dimensions : 

ength of span, 822 feet. 

eight of tower above rock, American side, . . 88 ' 

" " " " Canada side, . . 78 " 

" " " floor of railway, . . 60 ' 

umber of wire cables, .... 4 

iameter of each cable, ..... 104 in. 

umber of No. 9 wires in each cable, . . 3,659 

Itimate aggregate strength of cables, . . . 12,400 tons 

It is regarded as a great triumph of engineering skill. 9000 miles 
* wire are employed in the 4 cables. The first string was carried 




Whirlpool Rapids, Canada Hide. 

ross the chasm by means of a kite, and then heavier ropes were 
agged across, till the cables themselves thus performed the pas- 
ge. Charges : Each person, over and back, 25 cents. 

WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS, AMERICAN SIDE. 

The effect of changing the point of view is nowhere better 
lustrated than in the case of the Eapids above named. Seen 
t>m the Canada side they have all the advantages of cool, shady 
alks and uplands, as it relates to the position of the sun in the 
armest portions of the day. But as seen from the American side 
ey have a peculiar charm in the fierce glint of the sunlight 

53 



iminating the crests of the flood and in the emerald and opal 
nsl ueenee of the waters as they pass in their swift career, 
[n spite of the disadvantage of the sun being directly opposite, 
)re is no inconvenience from heat, as the near proximity of the 
ling river allows visitors to enjoy at the same time the ben- 
ial effects of a sun bath and the soothing influence of the cooling 
ion of the waters. Here, descending by the Double Elevator, 
iich runs down the perpendicular face of the cliff we reach the 
ping bank and by a foot-path we descend to the water's edge. 
;re we see where the entire volume of water from the Upper 
kes discharges itself through a gorge, confining but intensifying 
power, and producing such a conflict between the natural forces 
to recall vividly the old proposition of an irresistable force 
eting with an immovable object. In 1861 the little steamboat, 
[aid of the Mist" under the command of Capt. J. Roberton, 
vigated this Rapid, and passed safely, but not without disastrous 




■VThirlpool Rapiils, American Side. 

;ct, through the Whirlpool below, and it is safe to hazard the 
nion that her wheelsman was the first and last navigator of the 
rent or race, it being worthy, although properly a river, of 
icr designation. 

THE WHIRLPOOL. 

vVhen it is remembered that about 100,000,000 tons of water 
s over the Falls every hour and that this quantity is compelled 
pass between steep cliffs to a point about 2 miles distant from 
; Falls, where the course of the river turns abruptly at an angle 



of 45 degrees, it will be understood, even by those who have neve 
witnessed the scene, that such a terrific force must cause a fearfu 
commotion in its rocky bed. 

In point of fact, the power of the Falls confined in these narrow 
limits raises the center of the billowy flood to a height of from ll 
to 40 feet. It is assumable that the earth does not afford anothe: 
spectacle of contention of natural forces parallel to this. Descend 
ing from the Falls proper in an almost resistless torrent, thii 
river, called by the Indians the " Father of Waters," is suddenly 
checked by its rock-bound barriers causing it to make a ceaseless-: 
passage arround the pool, from which it can escape only afte: 
having made the entire circuit, and only then by passing through] 
over and under the ever-recurring accession of waters in the esi 
uary of the channel proper. 

The effect of this combination of forces can better be imagined 
than described, yet a very good idea of it can be obtained from] 
the statement that it reverses the usual order of things in whictl 
the axiom says, " water finds its own level." Here water finds no 
level, but is forced and sustained in dome form, the surface of the 
pool being actually the segment of a circle, 

At the outlet of the Whirlpool the river is only 25 rods across, 
and a strong man can throw a stone from one nation to the other, 
The Whirlpool is a vast basin or ampitheatre, with an ill-propor- 
tioned opening at right angles with the river above ; this opening 
is to the right as you have your back to the Falls, and is compara- 
tively narrow. The pool is shut in on all sides, save the opening 
mentioned, by rocky cliffs 350 feet high, whose sides facing the 
river are quite smooth and perpendicular. The basin containing: 
this pool is nearly circular, and together with the water forms a: 
very picturesque scene. But as to the pool itself it must be 
acknowledged that many are disappointed with its appearance, 
The outlet seems inadequate, but has answered for thousands of 
years. The old outlet, as geologists claim, is still to be traced 
almost opposite to where the river pours in. It is simply thQ< 
trace of what once was a gorge through which the river ran to< 
Lake Ontario and over twenty miles to the west of its present! 
location. In bygone ages it has been completely filled up. The* 
depth of the Whirlpool is enormous, and its force and suction 
immense. It is boiling and eddying incessantly. Logs twenty feet 
long are drawn into eddys and made to stand on end like ship's* 
masts. Its waters revolve constantly; its surface is never quiets 
Bodies sometimes float in the water for two or three months before' 

56 



ley are drawn into just the right eddy whence to find the outlet, 
hich is at right angles with the entrance. 

The land adjoining the Whirlpool on the American side is 
wned by the De Veaux College, an Episcopalian establishment 
rst started by the liberality of Judge De Veaux in 1855. 

The college is one of the finest institutions of its class on this 
mtinent, and is shown to visitors on application. From its 
rounds a zigzag path permits a near inspection of the mighty 
ood as it passes through the pool, for a remuneration, going to 
le funds of the college, of 50 cents. 

As a large sum of money has been expended in the effort to 
rovide a means of access to the Whirlpool, obviating the natural 
angers of falling from such a height or of descending to the river 
ige the charge ought properly to be regarded as of little account. 



NEIGHBORING POINTS OF INTEREST. 



These places just given embrace all that is usually meant b 
Niagara Falls. These are the points from which the best views ( 
the Falls of the Rapids and of the Gorge can be obtained. 

But the Falls are in the center of an interesting territory, and w 
shall now note all those points within a radius of about 1 
miles, which have either a historical or a commercial interest. 

We shall first take the American bank of the River, from ili 
source to its mouth, and give the names and incidents connectei 
with each place, and we shall then proceed in a like manner wit 
the Canadian side. 

AMERICAN SIDE. 

Buffalo, at the source of the River, is the 11th city of the Unio 
in point of population, which in 1880 was 180,000. It is famous i 
the Western terminus of the Erie Canal, and also as the chii 
Eastern port of lake navigation It is situated about 22 mile 
from the Falls. 

Black Rock, a suburb of Buffalo, where in 1812 Gen. Alexandt 
Smyth, of Virginia, collected about 5000 men, who responded t 
his bombastic circular, asking all to retrieve the nation's honor an 
share in the danger and glory of an invasion of Canada. Nothin 
ever came of the matter ; there was no invasion, and the force ws 
disbanded. 

Grand Island, distant 3 miles at the South end from Buffali 
and 3 miles at the North end from the Falls, is 12 miles i 
length and 7 in breadth. The land is fertile, and much of 
is under cultivation. It was at White Haven, on this Island, thii 
the late Major Mordecai M. Noah, of New York, designed to bui; 
the " City of Ararat," as a place of refuge for the scattered tribes ( 
Israel. In 1825, he even went so far as to lay the corner-ston 
amid great pomp, and to erect a monument to commemorat 
the occasion. The monument is still standing, in a fair state 
preservation. 

Tonawanda, 11 miles above the Falls, is a small village, famov 
as a lumber market, holding the second place in America or nei 
to Chicago in the amount of lumber handled. 

The village of La Salle, 5 miles above the falls, at the mouth ~< 

58 



©ayuga Creek, was named after Chevalier Robert de La Salle, who 
at this point, in 1679, built his vessel, the now forgotten Griffin. 

At the foot of Grand Island lies Buckhorn Island, with an area 
of about 250 acres. Between these two, and about 3 miles above 
the Falls, is an arm of the Kiver called Burnt Ship Bay from a 
circumstance connected with the war of 1 759. The garrison at 
Schlosser had already made a brave resistance to one attack of the 
English, and were preparing for another, when, disheartened by 
the news of the fall of Quebec, they decided to destroy the two 
armed vessels containing their military stores. Accordingly, they 
brought them to this bay and burnt them. Portions of the vessels 
are visible under water even at this day. 

Just below on the American shore, 2 miles above the Falls, is 
Schlosser Landing, the end of the Portage from Lewiston. 
This terminus was gradually fortified till it became a fort called 
Fort de Portage. This was burnt by Joncaire on his retreat in 
1759. In 1761, Capt. Schlosser, of the British army, rebuilt it 
stronger than ever. He named it after himself and died there. 
Here in 1837, the Steamer Caroline was attacked, set on fire 
and sent over the Falls. The patriot movement being put down 
in Canada, the leaders established themselves on Navy Island. 
Visitors thereto being numerous, the Caroline, a small steamer, 
was brought down from Buffalo as a private venture it was be- 
lieved, to serve as a ferry or freight boat. The Canadians, think- 
ing the boat was chartered by the patriots for offensive operations 
against Canada, at midnight, December 29, 1837, dispatched a 
chosen band of men under Capt. Drew, in 8 boats, to destroy her. 
As she lay at Schlosser dock, she was boarded by these parties. 
Those on board, crew as well as some who, unable to get beds in 
the little hotel, had got berths on board, were attacked. All but 
one escaped to shore, he being shot dead. The gallant band hav- 
ing thus succeeded in their attack, set the vessel on fire, towed 
her out into the stream and let her drift. It was a grand sight. 
A mass of flames, she floated down the River and entered the 
Eapids, but before she reached the head of the Island, the water 
conquered and extinguished the flames. The smoke-stack, it is 
said, still lies at the bottom of the River near Schlosser. 

The old stone chimney on the river bank, 1J miles above the 
Falls, was built in 1750, and was the first stone structure erected 
in this part of the country. It was the chimney of the 
barracks of the French Fort, called "Little Fort," which was 
burnt by Joncaire, when compelled to retreat in 1759. It was re- 

59 



built two years afterward as an adjunct to Fort Schlosser. The 
chimney now stands in excellent preservation. 

Next comes the Falls themselves, fully described before. 

Three and a half miles below the Falls, on the American side, is 
the Devil's Hole, a terrible gloomy and rugged chasm in the bank 
of the River, between 100 and 200 feet deep. Overhanging this 
dark cavern, is a perpendicular precipice, from the top of which 
falls a small stream, usually dry in Summer, named the " Bloody 
Run," and which takes its name from being turned to a bloody 
stream during the fight described below. 




Devil's Hole. 

This chasm was cut by this stream continuously flowing into it 
and aided naturally by the enormous force of the Falls, when they . 
were at this point. During the French war in 1765, a detachment i 
of the British were decoyed into an ambush here by the French 
and Indians. The war whoop of the savages was the first in- 
dication of danger. Officers, men, women, children and wagons 
were pushed over the bank into the chasm below. 250 peopl 
were killed. Only two persons escaped, a drummer, who wai 
caught in a branch of a tree in his fall, and John Steadman (the 

60 



same who put the goats upon Goat Island), who spurred his 
horse and ran the gauntlet of bullets to a place of safety. 

The Tuscarora Indian Reservation is 7 miles Northeast from the 
Falls. Driven from their original seats in North Carolina, this 
tribe came to New York in 1712, and became merged in the con- 
federacy of the Iroqouis. In the revolutionary war, part of them 
favored the English, and part remained neutral. Those of the 
luscaroras and Oneidas who had been allies of the English, left 
Pneida Lake, came down the Oswego River, and coasted along Lake 
Ontario to the British garrison at Fort Niagara. In the Spring, 
part of them returned and part of them took possession of a mile 
square upon the mountain ridge, given them by the Senecas, one 
tribe of the six nations. The Holland Land Company gave them 
2 square miles more, and in 1804 sold them 4,329 acres, this form- 
ing the estate upon which the Tuscaroras are now located. As the 
home of that anomoly, a civilized Indian, it is one of the curiosi- 
ties of this locality and well worth a visit. 

The bluff or top of the Mountain, 6 miles from the Falls, so geo- 
logists tell us, was the old shore of Lake Ontario,' a fact which 
seems to be undisputed. Near here are the remains of old Fort 

i Grey. Lewiston, 7 miles below the Falls, was named in honor of 
Gov. Lewis of New York. It is at the foot of the mountain. La 

[Salle built a cabin of palisades here in 1678, and this was the com- 
mencement of the Portage whose upper terminus was Fort 

j Schlosser, and which passed over nearly the present roads, a part 
of which is still called the Portage Road. Up the mountain 

| side here was built the first railroad in the United States. It was 
built entirely of wood, the rails being broad and flat. The car ran 
on runners instead of wheels. It was raised and lowered by a 
windlass and carried heavy goods up and down. It was a rude 
work, but answered its purpose perfectly. 

J 4 miles from the Falls at the mouth of the River, stands Fort 
Niagara, which was established as a trading post by La Salle in 
1678. In 1687, De Nonville built the fort proper for the prose- 
cution of a war on the Iroquois in defense of the Indian allies of 

] the Western country. The next year it was abandoned, but in 
1825 was rebuilt in stone, by the consent of the Iroquois. The 

] English General Prideaux was killed here in 1759, and after the 
battle the French surrendered it to Sir William Johnson. It is 
now a U. S. Fort regularly garrisoned. Here is the famous dun- 
geon where in 1824, Morgan, of anti-masonic fame, was said to 

; have been confined, and whence it was claimed he was taken 
to be drowned in the lake, about a mile from the Fort. 



CANADA SIDE. 

Fort Erie is at the mouth of the River, on Lake Erie, 22 milei 
from the Falls. From the Fort, on Sept. 17, 1814, the Americans j 
made the famous sortie, defeating the British besiegers and com j 
pelling them to raise the siege. 

Navy Island, three miles above the Falls, has an area of 340 acres 
and belongs to Canada, and is the only large Island in the Rivei 
that they own. It is famous, mainly, as the headquarters of thti] 
Patriots during the Patriot war in 1837. 

The village of Chippewa is two miles above the Falls. In tht j 
field South of it, on July 5, 1814, was fought the battle of CrrSJ 
pewa, which resulted in a victory for the Americans. 

Lundy's Lane Battle Ground is one mile West of the Falls. Or 1 
July 25, 1814, the decisive battle of the war between the U. S. and j 
England was fought here, the loss on both sides in killed and \ 
wounded being 1,800, the Americans being victorious. 

The village of Drummondville is about one-half mile West from 
the Falls, and is so called in honor of General Drummond. 

Brock's Monument is on Queenston Heights, 6 miles below the ! 
Falls. It is a handsome shaft, erected to perpetuate the memory 1 
of General Isaac Brock, who fell here in 1813. The first monument 
was built in 1826, and was 126 feet high. This was destroyed by 
explosion on the night of the 17th of April, 1840, and was replaced 
by the present structure in 1853. It is 185 feet in height, the base! 
being 40 feet square and 30 feet high. Four lions, facing the car- 
dinal points of the compass, rest on this as well as on the pedestal, ' 
16 feet square by 10 feet high, ornamented in alto-relievo by lions' j 
heads alternated by wreaths. The shaft is of freestone, 75 feet 
high, by 30 feet in circumference, having a Corinthian capital 10 
feet in height, carrying in relief a statue of the Goddess of War.ij 
Over this is a round dome 7 feet in height, surmounted by Brock's 
statue, and can be reached by 250 spiral steps, starting from the 
interior of the base. 

The Suspension Bridge, the third one of the four ever buiKI 
hereabouts, was at Queenston heights. It was built in 1857, am 
was a graceful structure. A terrible gale tore up its roadway and 
loosened its guys, leaving it a dangling wreck. As it was never a 
very paying investment, it was not rebuilt. 

Queenston, a small village just below Brock's Monument, was 
so called in honor of Queen Charlotte. 

The village of Niagara, near the ruins of Fort George, is older, 
according to Marshall, than any settlement on the Eastern bank. 

62 




03 




64 



l 1792, it became the residence of the Lieutenant-Governor ot 
anada, and the first session of the Parliament of the Upper Prov- 
lce was held there. It is on the site of the village of Newark, 
urned by General McClure in 1813. 

At the mouth of the River, and just below the village, is old Fort 

eorge, captured by the Americans— Gen. Dearborn commanding 
-in 1812. It was destroyed by Gen. McClure the next year, and 
as never been rebuilt. 

Fort Messissuga, now only used as a Summer camp, is just below. 

Welland Canal, with its new water way, and grand locks just 
nished, runs almost parallel with the Niagara River, 8 miles West 
f it. 

ADDENDA. 

The magnetic declination at Niagara Falls is 2° 26' west. 
A new bridge— the fifth one at or near Niagara— is in process 
f erection, some 300 feet above the present railroad bridge. 
) will be built on the Cantilier principle, and be used for railroad 
urposes only. 

Various estimates place the number of years required by the 
alls to have cut their way from Lewiston to their present location 
t from 35,000 to 72,000. The latter number is probably but a 
action of the great age of the coralline limestone over which the 
ater flows. 

The Iroquois was the name given to the confederacy of tribes 
hich banded together against their enemies. These tribes were 
riginally five in number, and were known as the Five Nations: 
he Senecas, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Mohawks. In 
712 the Tuscaroras were included, making the Six Nations, 
o-day, though stripped of their lands and poorer, they retain 
heir organization, and keep up their rites and ceremonies. Their 
neetings, or Council Fires, held annually, have been removed 
rom Oneida, their original seat, to Tonawanda. 



SUGGESTIONS TO VISITORS. 



These constitute Niagara Fall and its surroundings, and in con 
elusion, let us say : If you come to stay only a day, don't think you 
can see everything named above unless at a large expense. If 
you come to see Niagara Falls, insist on seeing them first, then se- 
lect from the outside places any that you desire. If you are going 
to spend a week here, and certainly to appreciate and understand 
Niagara, one should stay that long, buy a season ticket to the two 
or three points. Visit them daily and spend plenty of time at 
them. Take in one of the other attractions each day. By so do- 
ing you will appreciate them all and will not go away feeling that 
you have been beaten out of your money, or that Niagara is such 
a very expensive place. 

If, after viewing the real object of interest, the Falls them- 
selves, the visitor chooses to extend his excursions into the sur- 
rounding country he will be amply repaid for his excursions 
but he should distinctly understand that these are not the Falls, 
but the country about the Falls ; spots which are pleasant, but not 
necessary, for him who comes simply to view the great wonder of 
Niagara, to visit. 

The charge of $1.50 per hour for carriage, is as cheap as at an j 
place in the country, and it is often possible to make a bargain at 
a much cheaper rate. The difference between the real state of 
affairs as they exist at the Falls, and the distorted one usually 
given, namely, — excessive tolls, high carriage hire, outrageous 
prices, etc., etc. — is an enormous one. One can spend a large sum 
of money in a day, but, on the other hand one can get one, and at 
some points, (especially Goat Island,) several excellent views of 
Niagara Falls, for 50 cents. 

At no place that we know of are such favorable terms given to 
excursionists, thousands coming annually on excursions, and see- 
ing, we may say, everything for a very small sum. 

The visitor should remember that in crossing to Canada, he 
pssses beyond the jurisdiction of the village trustees, and that if 
he is wronged by people there, he has, on the American side, no 



aethod of redress. He should remember, also, that upon all goods 
rought into Canada there are large duties. 

With these few words, we deem the visitor amply informed. 
>Ve recommend him to use the same good sense here that he uses 
it home ; to enquire the price of an article before he buys it, and 
f too costly, to let it alone, rather than buy it, and then go away 
grumbling ; to enquire the price of a carriage before he engages it> 
md to understand that in no case is the charge more than $1.50 
jer hour. He should expect to pay a fair price for all he receives, 
lot to be continually trying to cheapen everything ; for, as sure as 
le endeavors to do so, so surely will the advantage be taken ot 
lim. Any gentleman or lady who will carefully read and follow 
;he above advice and directions, will never have reason to regret 
i visit to Niagara Falls. 

IN WINTER. 

To thoroughly study, understand and appreciate Niagara Falls 
Diie should see them both in Summer and Winter, for these 
wo pictures, so utterly unlike, combine to make the perfect whole. 
In Summer, the greatest single beauty is the deep green color of 
the water, which, in the winter, is changed to a muddy yellow. 
But then the glorious ice scenery fully makes up for the loss. The 
trees are all covered with an ice foliage, bending and breaking 
under their loads of ice, which covers every twig and limb. This 
ice is formed layer by layer, as the spray falls and freezes ; is as 
white as marble and as hard as flint. The ice bridge, which fills 
the narrow part of the River at the Ferry, the ice mountains 
formed at each end of the American Fall, and the large icicles 
hanging from the banks on both sides of the river, combine to 
make it a unique picture. When the scenery is so grand, and it 
usually is during our cold snap after the January thaw, it is well 
worth a visit, even if one has to travel a long way. If you can 
see Niagara but once, it had better be in Winter than in Summer. 
The various photographs, both glass and paper, give an excellent 
idea of Niagara in Summer, but the Winter views are far ahead, 
both as to faithful reproduction and to artistic work. In these, as 
seen through a stereoscope, the beauties of the ice formation, 
which is indescribable in words, is reproduced with a wonderful 
exactness. 

IN SUMMER. 

Many people say they prefer the view of the rapids, to that of 
the Falls, and surely the view of the former, from the Cataract 
verandah, from Goat Island Bridge, from the Three Sister Islands, 

67 



and also those views to be had on the way to the Burning Springs 
are unsurpassed at Niagara. 

During the Summer season, there is plenty of amusement to be 
found by those who wish to spend a few weeks here. The 
fishing in the Kiver, some two or three miles above the Falls, ijj 
most excellent. Black bass, muscalonge, pickerel and perch 
abound, the bass fishing being especially good. Boats and 
tackle can always be obtained, also the services of a competent; 
boatman, one who is thoroughly acquainted with the current o 
the river and the best fishing grounds. At the proper season o i 
the year, on the Eiver, and in the surrounding country, there cam 
always be found enough good sport to satisfy those fond of huntin 
In fact, Niagara is in the center of a territory where wood-cock, al! 
sorts of snipe and duck abound. 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

3 



escriptive, 

:ie Name Niagara, 5 

istorical, 6 

eological, 8 

irst Visited by White Men, u 

he Niagara River, 13 

iagara Falls, 17 

illage of Niagara Falls, 19 

oints of Interest at Niagara Falls, 25 



oat Island, 25 

rospect Park, 42 

ew Suspension Bridge, 46 

able Rock, 49 

urning Spring, 50 

u'side Points of Interest, 



Whirlpool, Canada, 51 

Whirlpool, Rapids Park, 51 

Railroad Suspension Bridge, 52 

Whirlpool Rapids, 53 

Whirlpool, 55 



58 



AMERICAN SIDE. 



uffalo, 58 

klack Rock, 58 

Strand Island, 58 

onawanda, 58 

jQ, Salle, 58 

Jurat Ship Bay, 59 



Schlosser, 59 

Old Chimney, 59 

Devil's Hole, 60 

Indian Reservation, 61 

Lewiston 61 

Fort Niagara, 61 



CANADIAN SIDE. 



^ort Erie, 

tfavy Island, 

^hippewa, 

undy's Lane, ... 
L)rummondville, 

\ddenda, 



suggestions to Visitors,. 

Memoranda,.. 

Map of Niagara Falls, 



62 Queenstown Heights 62 

62 Brock's Monument, 62 

62 Niagara Village, 62 

62 Fort George, 62 

62 Welland Canal, 65 



1 



6 



^7 



Gazette" Printing House, 
NIAGARA FALLS, N, Y, 



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